1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to methods and systems for creating event data and making same available to be served.
2. Background Art
Sports information and broadcasting are currently provided extensively via the Internet. Much work has been done to allow the effective streaming of video over the web. With sufficient bandwidth this can be done effectively, although many users suffer from very poor performance. Video over the web suffers from too much information, even with compression. The cost to produce video productions is reduced by the result being broadcast via the web. Streaming text is quite successful, but not very exciting to watch, and its requires an announcer to transcribe the action. There are current web sites which provide near real-time game summary statistics. However, they lack sufficient information to allow reconstruction of detailed analysis of a game.
Streaming audio is quite successful. The data rates for good performance are modest. Many non-televised sporting events (at most colleges for instance) have radio announcers.
Published U.S. Patent Applications 2002/0051216 and 2003/0193571 both disclose smart cameras. As described in the latter application, in many applications, machine vision or image processing analysis is used to inspect or locate an object. For example, in manufacturing applications, machine vision analysis may be used to detect defects in a manufactured object by acquiring images of the object and using various types of image processing algorithms to analyze the images. As an example, a system to manufacture electrical components such as capacitors may use machine vision to examine respective sides of the capacitors in order to detect manufacturing defects, ensure that the capacitors are labeled, marked, or color coded properly, etc.
Machine vision applications may use image processing software operable to perform any of various types of image analysis or image processing functions or algorithms in examining an acquired image of an object. For example, pattern matching algorithms are often used, e.g., in order to compare the pattern information of the acquired image to pattern information of a template image. Color matching algorithms may also be used, e.g., in order to compare the color information of the acquired image to the color information of a template image. Blob (Binary Large Object) analysis tools may also be used to examine an image. In various applications, pattern, color and/or Blob analysis information may be used to verify that: an object includes all necessary components in the correct locations, an object has the appropriate words, labels, or markings, an object surface is not scratched or otherwise defective, etc.
Any of type of camera or other device may be used to acquire the images to be analyzed in a machine vision application, including digital cameras, line scan cameras, etc. As used herein, the term “camera” is intended to encompass all such devices, including infrared imaging devices, x-ray imaging devices, ultra-sonic imaging devices, and any other type of device which operates to receive, generate, process, or acquire image or sensor data.
Typically, the image processing and analysis of image data is performed by a computing system which may be coupled to the camera. For example, a personal computer (PC) may receive image data from a camera and may execute one or more software programs to process and analyze the image data. As another example, a data acquisition (DAQ) computer board (e.g., installed in a computer) may receive image data from the camera and perform various signal processing operations on the data, including pattern recognition, signal conditioning and conversion, and filtering, among others.
Increasingly, however, such image processing capabilities are performed by the camera or sensor by hardware and/or software “on-board” the device. The term “smart camera” is intended to include any of various types of devices that include a camera or other image sensor and a functional unit (i.e., a processor/memory and/or programmable hardware, such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA)) capable of being configured to perform an image processing function to analyze or process an acquired image. Examples of smart cameras include: NAVSYS Corporation's GI-EYE, which generates digital image data that are automatically tagged with geo-registration meta-data to indicate the precise position and attitude of the camera when the image was taken; Vision Components' GmbH Smart Machine Vision Cameras, which integrate a high-resolution Charge Coupled Device (CCD) sensor with a fast image-processing signal processor, and provide various interfaces to allow communication with the outside world; and Visual Inspection Systems' SMART cameras with on-board DSP capabilities, including frame grabbers and robot guidance systems, among others.